re: gig on a real hot day

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 7 Jul 2003 6:45 pm

We play once in a while at the cattle show barn at our local fair ground. The floor is about 3 inches of sawdust! I have made wood pads to go under each leg of my steel and one for the volume pedal. Keeps you from sinking in so far the pedals won't work... We were outside last saturday for a private party, about 80 degrees but we had a nice cover, some shade trees and lots of steamed clams, so it was a good day...

John Swain · Post by **John Swain** » 8 Jul 2003 6:19 am

Jeff,after playing on soft ground a few years ago,(and sinking) I cut a sheet of 3/4 plywood 36 x 40" and carry it on jobs I think might be hazardous..I radiused the corners and rounded all edges(also cut oblong hand hold to make it easy to carry).It's just big enough for the steel and my pakaseat to fit comfortably..Also corrects the terrible ground hum you get from open bottom volume pedal sitting on damp earth..(a plastic bag fixed this in a pinch!)..If you can get someone to make the board in Queens come down here and I'll do it..Although HomeDepot could sell 48 x 48" piece and .50 cents each for 2 cuts...JS

John Cox · Post by **John Cox** » 8 Jul 2003 8:39 am

Once I played in the parking lot of the Mallmart in Bremham,TX in a 100 degree day in July no shade or anything but, my black Zum held up and didn't even slip or drop tunning. That was the only steel I've owned that acted this way [well built].

J.C.

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 8 Jul 2003 10:11 am

Heck... We are right in the middle of our street dance season here in Texas... Last Friday night we were at the Colorado County Fair Grounds, Saturday we were at the Grimes County Fair Grounds... HOT!
July 19th we will be on the street at Hempstead, Tx for the "Watermelon Fest". We've done this festival four years running. Two years ago it was 106 when we were setting up...

Dang... this 52 y/o body of mine is getting way too old for this stuff.

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God Bless,
Steve Stallings

www.thenightshiftband.net

Roger Edgington · Post by **Roger Edgington** » 8 Jul 2003 3:35 pm

Steve, We do the street dances too. They are a lot of fun. Texans will dance anywhere anytime rain or shine.

My 57 y/o body feels it also.

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 10 Jul 2003 1:24 am

For the past three years I have been playing on an outdoor stage on the strip in Las Vegas. I'm out there six hours a day, two days a week every week of the year. I have had to play in temperatures from 28 degrees to 120 degrees.
Today it was 116 and its supposed to heat up tomorrow and may get up to 118-120, the good news is tomorrow I'm working inside. After it gets that hot I can't tell the difference between 116 and 120.
The hottest I ever had to play in was on the June 29th, 1994 in Lake Havasu, AZ .We were there for the Fourth of July week to play. The day we got there to check into our rooms and set up for the gig it was 128 in the shade, and when we went back to our hotel rooms the air units couldn't keep up and it was 110 in the rooms. I think that was the hottest week of my life. You would think that OSHA would have some kind of rule about having to work like this.[This message was edited by Alvin Blaine on 10 July 2003 at 02:26 AM.]

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 10 Jul 2003 1:36 am

Shoot, I'd just bring my collapsable beach umbrella with a floor stand and set it up next to me with a jaunty tilt. And with my 19" floor fan and ice chest, I'd be in High Cotton.

I kinda think it adds a little personality and "color" to the stage... The band is envious because they have to stand in the middle with the microphones.

Now the drummer who sits back a bit has a real opportunity to use some of his "mobile comofort" gear as well.

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Bill Fulbright
Mullen D-10 8x7; Gibson ES-165; Peavey Vegas 400;
ICQ# 2251620 My Music Site

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 10 Jul 2003 7:24 am

If we can put a man on the moon, we should be able to scheule the 4th of July gigs in October for the comfort and safety of steel players.

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 12 Jul 2003 7:31 am

I think I'm suffering from heat stroke just reading these postings!!

Anything over 79 F is too hot for this old guy from the Great White North!

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 12 Jul 2003 7:49 am

The fact that we can't do 4th of July gigs in October is all the proof I need that the moon landings were a hoax.

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 12 Jul 2003 10:33 am

TRY THESE TWO SITUATIONS:

Get your band & set up on the southbound platform of the IRT 14th & Lex subway station at 5 PM during rush hour on very hot 90% humid day. Now tell me if that's not hot, I used to have that station during rush hour from 4-7 PM when I was a Transit cop. My uniform was soaked & that was with a bullet proof vest on. Girls looked good soaked also, if you know what I mean.

Now if you think that's hot, fly down to Ft. Lauderdale with the band and on any summer day at 2 P.M. set up at the beach here, our humidity every day of summer is about 90% BUT it never drops, cut the lawn for 3 minutes at 2 PM in the afternoon and your body will drip rain drops.

KEN

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 12 Jul 2003 11:09 am

Here's another one to try....stand on a Military Police box in the middle of the East exit intersection from Fort Sill, Oklahoma at 5PM on a 98+ August day and direct traffic from the post into the main highway for an hour while everyone is swearing and giving you the "finger"!

To recover, on my day off on Saturdays, I played steel on a television show in an air-conditioned studio with Bill Mack at Wichita Falls, Texas!
www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 12 July 2003 at 12:11 PM.]